Actress Kerry Washington holds her award in the press room at the 44th NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, February 1, 2013. (REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon)

The Washingtons were the early winners at the 44th annual National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards in Los Angeles on Friday night, with Denzel and Kerry picking up the first trophies of the night.

Kerry picked up the Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture crown for her portrayal of a slave in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, while an absent Denzel was a Best Actor winner for his alcoholic pilot role in Flight.

Emotional Kerry Washington dedicated her trophy to “our ancestors,” adding, “We shot this film on a slave plantation in the south. They were with us every step of the way.”

And she used her acceptance speech to praise Tarantino for making the movie and casting her in it.

She said, “Thank you for telling this story.”

The slave film had nominations in four categories going into the awards show, including one for Best Picture.

Other early Image Award winners included Loretta Devine (Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Grey’s Anatomy) and Lance Gross (Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Tyler Perry’s House of Payne), while Viola Davis picked up the Best Actress honour for her role in Won’t Back Down.